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    • Home
    • About Me
    • Photo Gallery
    • Contact Me
    • Press Releases
    • BOOKSTORES & SIGNINGS
    • Reviews
    • Blogs
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Me
  • Press Releases
  • BOOKSTORES & SIGNINGS
  • Reviews
  • Blogs

Welcome

Tools of the trade: a pen and paper; a light to guide the way; some references to aid in the search for the  right word. 

About Me

My Story

I wrote White Squirrels and other monsters because an elderly, cantankerous man and his great nephew pitched camp in my mind and would not leave.  Uncle Woody's family stories  take on special meaning, for he and his nephew  are the last two members of  a clan of Pattersons.  In battling a white squirrel (Moby), the two men are drawn closer together  until, at last, they  form a  caring family.


My second novel,  Ring the Bell,  follows a company of firefighters for one day on the job.  As a retired fire chief, I drew upon my experiences  with the  types of incidents firefighters respond to, and in particular, how they work as a team to accomplish their mission.  I also  provided  insight into the  dynamics  of station life, as well as each crew member's  life outside the department. Finally, we find out about what is happening  with the civilians who need help, pre, during, and post incident.  A note:  I wrote  the first draft in 30 days as  a NaNoWrimo project (National Novel Writing Month). It is a great way for a  beginning writer to learn discipline.


Canelands is number  three. On the news one evening, I saw a young Guatemalan girl crying  hysterically. The child was in a chain-link fence enclosure at the southern border. She had been deliberately separated from her mother. I was angered and upset seeing such an innocent suffering. The outlines of Canelands soon came to mind as a way to bring attention to her cruel and unnecessary treatment. A country preacher is called by God to go to the southern border and pray for the children. The novel is in many ways  a compilation of love stories:  parents and children; spouses,; young love;  God's love for his children.

My Community

Feedback from readers is vitally important. Several friends and relatives looked over my first draft with all my novels. Their comments helped greatly. I am also fortunate to  be in a local writer's group (SKY Writers). These friends each write in a different genre, yet they all work with a common goal in mind: trying to tell the best story possible.  In that vein, I am curious to hear what you liked and what you didn't, what moved you and what you thought was frivolous.  NOTE:  A great way to help a writer is to post  a short review.  This can be done in a  few moments on Amazon or Goodreads. 



Join My Journey

I hope you will join me on this writing journey. Along the way, I will post selected pictures in my photo gallery that I have taken on my  daily walks and explorations, with  a paragraph or two on occasion in my blog about how a particular photo has stirred my thoughts. I will also keep you informed on the progress of my other ongoing writing projects.  

My Blogs

I invite you to take a look at my blogs. Subjects vary. I write about whatever interests me at the moment, so there's a good chance you'll find something to suit your fancy.


  

BOOKSTORES & SHOPS CARRYING MY NOVELS

(* Canelands only)


KENTUCKY

Ashland -- Broadway Books

Berea -- The Taleless Dog Booksellers

Bowling Green -- Candlemakers on the Square

Campbellsville--Sweetwater Bookshop

Cave City--One More Chapter

Dawson Springs--Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park

Eddyville--The Shire Bookstore

Frankfort -- Poor Richards Books

Franklin--Gallery on the Square

Georgetown -- The Full Shelf

Grayson -- Nook and Cranny

Hardin--Kenlake State Resort Park

LaGrange--From the Ground Up

Lexington –-Joseph Beth Booksellers*

Midway--A Likely Story

Monticello -- Main Street Bookstore

Morganfield-- Bells & Whistles

Russellville –- 219 Main 

Stanford--Kentucky Soaps & Stuff

Shepherdsville--From the Ground Up


INDIANA

Evansville -- Your Brother’s Bookstore

Jasper -- The Next Chapter Books


OHIO

Cincinatti -- Joy and Matt

Cincinatti -- The Bookery

Milford -- The Book Matters 

 

TENNESSEE

Franklin -- Landmark Books

Hendersonville -- City Square Books  & Music

Murfreesboro -- Crying Cat Books *

Nashville--Grimey"s *

Red Boiling Springs--Step Back in Time

Smyrna -- The Spine


Signings

McCracken County Library--Paducah, KY--6/14

Nelson County Library--Bardstown--Local Author Spotlight--7/26



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